2013 Imola World Superbike Sunday Post-Race Press Releases

Press releases from the series organizers, as well as the World Superbike and World Supersport teams after today's races at Imola:

Sykes wins Race 1 to close up on Championship lead

Imola (Italy), Sunday 30 June 2013 - Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) dominated Race 1 at Imola to score his 9th career win, the 4th this year. Today's pole-sitter managed to pull away from 2nd place Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) halfway through the race, keeping a strong pace that only the young Italian was able to match, in the first part.

Sykes had a controlled approach in the early laps, making his way up from 4th to the lead, then started making the difference as the race progressed. Giugliano did all he could to stay with the winner, eventually finishing a lonely second, that means his first podium since 2012 Race 1 at Misano.

Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) achieved a solid 3rd place ahead Marco Melandri (BWM Motorrad GoldBet), as the home rider lapped really close to his former team mate, but couldn't get in contention for the podium. The two riders saw a recovering Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) getting in the mix until the Ulsterman crashed out of Turn 19, during the nineteenth lap, not long after he moved up to 4th place. Rea got the hole-shot at the start, before running wide at Turn 6 and rejoining in 11th position.

The Championship standings situation is now tighter than ever on top, following Sykes' win and the unlucky withdrawal of Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), due to a technical problem on Lap 6: the Frenchman keeps the lead, but Sykes is now just 3 points behind.

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) has won his third race of the season today at Imola. The defending Champion took the lead on Lap 4 and began to dictate the pace, as he tried to pull away from the chasing pack, to eventually cross the finish line 2.7 seconds ahead of Niccolò Canepa (read more)

Imola (Italy), Sunday 30 June 2013 - Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) completed a fantastic double-win at Imola, his second in 2013, to become the new Championship leader. The Hudderfield-born rider has led every single lap of Race 2 to cross the line as the winner for the 10th time in his WSBK career and, thanks to his 5th first place finish of the year, to equal the number of individual wins he was able to achieve in the last two seasons combined. After the disappointment of the first race, Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) redeemed himself to end up a lonely second ahead of works Aprilia rider Sylvain Guintoli.

Fourth place Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) edged his team mate Chaz Davies for fourth place at the very last lap, while Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) won the battle for sixth ahead of Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki). Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia) managed to pulled away in the end for from a still recuperating Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) and fellow Italian Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) for 8th.

Today's second race saw two potential protagonists out of contention in the early stages, as Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) crashed at Turn 7 during the second lap, while trying to keep Sykes' pace, and Eugene Laverty fell off his bike at Turn 18, on lap number six.

* Possible updated results could be defined by the International Disciplinary Court which is dealing with the appeal lodged by Aprilia Racing Team and rider Sylvain Guintoli, following the decision taken by the FIM Stewards in Monza (Italian Round, last 12 May) to cancel the drop of position sanction (from third to fourth place in race 2) imposed by the Race Direction on rider Tom Sykes.

World Supersport - Sofuoglu wins, Lowes recovers to 2nd

Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) is back on the top step of the podium following a superb performance in the World Supersport race at Imola. The defending Champion led the entire, that was shortened to 14 laps after the technical problem occurred to Valentin Debise… (read more)

Imola, 30 June 2013 - At the end of a difficult and more than a bit unlucky weekend the Aprilia Racing Team leaves the Imola round with two podiums (Laverty third in Race 1 and Guintoli third in Race 2) as well as the leadership in the world Manufacturer championship.

In Race 1, won by Tom Sykes, Eugene Laverty took third place, beating Marco Melandri out in the battle for the podium. In the first race the excellent overall performance of the Aprilia bikes was confirmed by Davide Giugliano's second place, astride the Team Althea RSV4, and by Michel Fabrizio's fifth place on his Red Devils Roma RSV4. Sylvain Guintoli, on the other hand, was forced to retire early in the sixth lap, just as he was battling Sykes for second place. His withdrawal was forced by a technical problem with the engine that brought the French rider's race to an early end.

The second race followed the same script as the first with Englishman Tom Sykes immediately taking the lead. This time it was Eugene Laverty's turn to raise the white flag due to a crash without consequences for the rider in the fifth lap while he was in third place and trying not to fall behind Sykes and Rea. Guintoli, who was behind him, had no trouble holding Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies at bay, holding onto third place until the end.

Leading the World Championship Rider standings from the first round of the 2013 WSBK season, after the Imola round Sylvain Guintoli slips to second place due to Tom Sykes' double win. The Frenchman is now 6 points from the English rider's lead, while Laverty is lying in third place, stably but at more of a distance, with 45 points.

Aprilia strengthens its lead in the Manufacturer World Championship lead with 289 points in front of Kawasaki (259) BMW (237), Honda (138), Suzuki (122) and Ducati (96).

Sylvain Guintoli: “Race 1 was disappointing. Unfortunately at these levels these things can happen. In Race 2 I really pushed as hard as I could. When Eugene crashed I even tried to catch Rea who was in front of me, but I wasn't able to. I'm not really happy with third place, but it was really the most we could get today. The season is still far from over. There are tracks like this one and Donington where we're weaker, but there are others where we will definitely be key players. The important thing is never to fall too far behind the leaders”.

Eugene Laverty: “The result in Race 1 was definitely encouraging. We managed to improve the bike a lot between yesterday and today, even during the warm-up session. For Race 2 I expected a second step forward, but unfortunately from the beginning I had some problems with the bike that cost me a lot at some points of the track. To stay in the race I had to take some risks and that led to my crash. It was a mistake on my part. I'm disappointed because I know that we're stronger than what we demonstrated today”.

Rea returns to Imola podium

Jonathan Rea finished on the podium for the second time in three races this afternoon, finishing as runner-up in the second of today’s two seventh-round World Superbike championship races at Imola in Italy.

Second place for the 26-year-old Pata Honda rider from Northern Ireland made up for the disappointment of crashing out of today’s 21-lap opener, which was won, like race two, by British rider Tom Sykes.

Rea had got the perfect start to race one, taking the holeshot before running wide at the second chicane of the 4.936km Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. He rejoined the race in eleventh place and had battled his way up to challenge for third before crashing out unhurt with two laps remaining.

His Pata Honda team-mate, Leon Haslam, took two top ten finishes today, completing his first race since breaking his leg badly at Assen in mid-April. The 30-year-old was tenth in race one and followed it up with ninth place in the second outing, battling right to the end of 21 very tough laps.

Jonathan Rea – DNF and 2nd

Really mixed emotions today. We had really good pace all weekend, but not enough for Tom [Sykes] today, who seemed like he had something in reserve, especially when it got hot this afternoon. I pulled a big ‘holey’ in race one and thought “I’m gone here”, but I had a big vibration the whole race on the brake disc, so I couldn’t push the front like I wanted. I made a mistake on the first lap, but made a lot of ground up and then unfortunately crashed when I was pushing for the podium with a couple of laps to go. In race two I just rode my ass off and made zero mistakes. In the first five laps I couldn’t go with the two guys ahead, so they gapped me and by half distance, Tom had eked out a lead tenth by tenth. I need to work with my crew to make the bike better with a full fuel load and fresh tyres. But it’s clear that we’ve addressed some of the problems we’ve had when the tyres drop. We can leave Imola with ou r heads held high because we’ve addressed some of the issues we had earlier in the season and we look forward now to Moscow.

Leon Haslam – 10th and 9th

You know, if I’d sat it out since my injury and got two top ten results like that on my first race back, I’d be pretty happy, so I’m feeling OK. I know where I’m struggling – I still can’t weight the pegs like I want, but I managed to pass a few people in the second race like Badovini and Cluzel and Checa. So I’ll take that as my start point. I’ve got some testing to do for the 8-hour, a few more weeks of training, then Moscow and we’re still really only halfway through the season. Step by step we’re getting back to where we should be, so I’ll take those two top tens as a big positive for the weeks ahead.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Jonathan got a really good start in race one but ran off a couple of corners later and had to start over again from further back. It was all running fine until two laps from the end when he pushed a little too hard and crashed. In race two he got another decent start but rode pretty much alone, but we’re quite happy to take a second back home. Again, we’ve had a good race and a bad race, so I hope we can head to Moscow for two good ones. Leon had two quite good races and for us that was quite a breakthrough. He was able not just to complete two races but to fight for positions. He’s still not 100% and if he can ride top ten in that condition, things will only get better. He’s getting more happy with the settings on the bike as well so, with some weeks before Moscow, we can look forward to him being fitter. It was a good day for him.

Eighth and tenth for Badovini and Team SBK Ducati Alstare in today’s SBK races at Imola

Imola (Italy), Sunday 30 June 2013: unfortunately, after making a positive start to the race weekend, Team SBK Ducati Alstare and riders Ayrton Badovini and Carlos Checa experienced a difficult day today at the Imola circuit. Badovini concluded the day’s two Superbike races in eighth and tenth position, Checa eleventh and twelfth.

Race 1 – Ayrton, eighth on the grid, lost a couple of positions through the first laps and was lying twelfth by lap five, followed by his team-mate Carlos, thirteenth. The Italian was able to pass Haslam during the course of the next lap, and then Baz to place himself ninth by mid-race. His fastest laps arrived during the second half of the race but unfortunately, due to a gap of roughly six seconds that had opened up between him and the group immediately ahead of him, Ayrton was unable to improve much further on his position, thus concluding the race in final eighth position. Carlos, suffering from grip issues from early on, rode a solitary second half of the race, maintaining his position to cross the line in eleventh place.

Race 2 – As in race one, and on hotter tarmac (54˚C) with respect to race one, Ayrton lost a little ground in the opening stages, to position himself eleventh by lap five. For the entire second half of the race he chased down Cluzel, managing to pass the Frenchman through the very last corner to cross the line in final tenth place. Carlos, thirteenth on the grid, made up a position through the first laps but was unable to catch those in front due to rear traction problems. He finished the race in twelfth position.

Carlos Checa: “This weekend has been hard. Honestly I expected to take a step forward here at Imola but it didn’t go as we’d hoped. We’ve made a series of changes over the weekend but they haven’t brought the desired results. I had problems with grip at the rear of the bike in both races and it was difficult to change direction. I’m disappointed and sorry for the team that has worked so hard again this weekend. We definitely have a lot of work to do during the upcoming tests in order to understand how to improve…”

Ayrton Badovini: “Up until yesterday everything was going really well but today temperatures were a lot higher and so there was less grip, not a lot of traction. The first race wasn’t bad but I lost too much time at the start unfortunately. We made some small changes for race two but the track was even hotter and it was even more difficult. I’m not happy with today’s results because I really thought I could do better but in general I can say that I’ve made a small step up with my bike this weekend. I want to thank all the fans who came here to support us today. They can be sure that we’ll continue to work hard in testing over the coming days.”

BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team - WSBK - Imola - Races

The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team concludes its home round at Imola (ITA) with both factory riders claiming their best results at the Italian track to date. Local hero, Marco Melandri (ITA) finished both of today’s races at the “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari” in fourth on his BMW S 1000 RR. His team-mate Chaz Davies (GBR) claimed sixth and fifth respectively. After seven rounds of the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship, Marco is fourth in the riders’ championship with 182 points, directly followed by Chaz with 154 points. In the Manufacturers’ classification, BMW is currently third with 237 points. Both races today were won by Tom Sykes (GBR). The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team will stay at Imola and attend tomorrow’s official Dorna test.

At the start of race one, both BMW factory riders gained positions. Marco improved from seventh to fifth, Chaz from tenth to seventh. In the early stages of the race, both kept in touch with the front. When Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) had to retire on lap six, Marco took fourth, Chaz sixth. Until lap 18, Marco stayed close behind third placed Eugene Laverty (ROI), but the opportunity to overtake the Irishman did not arise. Then Marco was passed by the catching up Jonathan Rea (GBR) and slipped back to fifth, only to regain fourth after Rea crashed on lap 19. Marco then tried to overtake Laverty for third but went wide and ended up crossing the line in fourth. Chaz in the meantime was fighting quite a few battles over the course of the race, mainly with his fellow Brit Leon Camier. Chaz slipped back to eighth when Rea and Michel Fabrizio (ITA) overtook him, but on lap 14 the Welshman started to make his way back forwards and overtook Camier for seventh. After Rea’s crash, Chaz was sixth, defending this position until the chequered flag.

At the start of race two both riders improved from their grid positions again. After the first lap, Marco and Chaz were lying in sixth and seventh respectively. After five laps, they had climbed up to fourth and fifth after Davide Giugliano (ITA) and Laverty had crashed. Until half way through the race, Marco stayed close behind third placed Guintoli, followed by Chaz. Marco’s gap to the front started to increase a bit, with Chaz coming closer and closer from behind. On the penultimate lap, Chaz overtook Marco to take fourth but on the final lap, positions between them changed again. The two BMW factory riders fought a close battle for fourth until the final corner, with Marco having a slight advantage in the end.

In the race of the 2013 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, it was once again Sylvain Barrier on the BMW HP4 of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team to take the win. The Frenchman rode a clever and controlled race to celebrate his third victory of the season. In the riders’ classification, Sylvain has now 95 points and has extended his lead to 12 points. His team-mate Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) - who contested his first ever race in Imola - also put in a strong performance. Coming from 17th, he defied the pain in his fractured left heel to finish 10th, scoring important points.

“On this track unfortunately our bike struggled. I don’t think that we had a chance to win today, so this result is the best possible. Race one has been very hard. I struggled a lot to change direction by shortly opening the gas which I normally do and, unfortunately, I couldn’t do better. While in the previous races I had issues with new tyres, here in Imola we struggled a lot with used tyres instead. The race was physically very demanding and at the end of the race I was really tired.

In race two we tried to solve the issue with some changes to the front suspension but the situation did not improve. The bike remained nervous and when I tried to push harder the bike moved more and more. In the last part of the race Chaz passed me and it was very difficult to get the fourth place back. If he had not made ​​a mistake he probably would have been in front in the end. The positive point is that as a result of today I have reduced the gap to the Aprilia riders.”

“Race one was difficult. I was not able to exit the corners as I wanted to. Everywhere else the bike seemed to be working okay but I could not get the bike under control as much as I would like on the corner exit. I either slided and then found grip what upset the bike or the acceleration was just not good enough. That cost me one bike length each time and I always had to push on the straights to catch that up again – until the next corner. In the end, the bike was easier to ride than in the middle of the race, the grip level was more consistent. It seemed as with the longer the race went on, the bike became better.

We used that knowledge to improve the bike for the second race. The bike was better and I was able to at least fight in a good group with Marco and at the end of the race I still had the guys on the podium positions in sight. The battle with Marco in the closing stages was fun. I passed him with two laps to go and held him off for one lap but then racing up the hill he got a really good drive and he passed back at the top of ‘Piratella’. Then in the last corner he went in a little bit too deep and I tried to cut back on the inside but I lost the rear unfortunately when I tried to pass him which was a bit of a shame but it was fun anyway. The only thing I am disappointed about is that I still lost too much time on the exit of slow corners. For some reason, I lost the grip earlier and could not open the gas as hard as I would have liked. It cost me some time on the straights so we really need to work on that tomorrow. At the test we will focus on that and I am confident that we will find something.”

Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK):

“This Sunday started very well with the victory in the Superstock class. Sylvain rode a perfect race, managing it cleverly. With this result he further increased his lead at the top of the ranking. It was also the first time we raced in Imola with the new HP4 with electronic damping system. This result shows the excellent work done by the team.

In the Superbike class it was a difficult weekend. The result achieved is not what we aim for, even if, on a track which is not favourable for the characteristics of our bike, we limited the damage. In the riders’ ranking, thanks to today’s result we reduced the gap to the Aprilia’ riders both with Marco as well as Chaz. Tomorrow we have a day of testing which we will use to try several new solutions. We have many ideas and the chance to test on a difficult track will be helpful to improve for the next round in Moscow.”

Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team):

“We had expected a difficult weekend. We can sum up by saying that session by session we have improved our performance and that Marco was close to the podium in both races. This goes for Chaz as well regarding race two. But it is clear that our package on this track needs some improvement. Marco is not comfortable enough with the chassis, he is not able to enter the corners as quick as the other riders and this is an area we will work on during tomorrow’s test. Chaz improved session by session from Friday on; he has done a good job over the weekend. He also has achieved his best result on this track but we are sure that he can do better if we are able to offer him a better package. So we want to work hard with both riders and we want to improve our overall package. We need to keep making progress in order to have a strong second half of the season.”

CAMIER FIGHTS HARD FOR 7TH AT IMOLA WSB

Team Suzuki Press Office - June 30.

FIXI Crescent Suzuki racer Leon Camier took a pair of solid seventh places from today's two races at the seventh round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Imola in Italy.

Camier fought hard throughout both races and was involved in several battles during the two 21-lap events. In both races the Englishman was hampered by tyre chatter that caused him to struggle with controlling the power and entering the corners. He battled manfully over the full race distance before bringing his bike home in seventh and believes that without the issues he could have been fighting for a podium position today.

Jules Cluzel again showed his racing potential as he looked set for a top-10 finish in race two, before a small technical issue robbed him of the chance. He had fought his way up from 14th on the grid to inside the top-10, but he developed a handling problem and was unable to take advantage of his position as the race wore on. Cluzel lost a place to Leon Haslam and then went straight on at the final chicane on the last lap and lost another position to Ayrton Badovini, leaving the Frenchman in 11th at the chequered flag. Unfortunately for Cluzel, he failed to finish race one after crashing-out, when he again looked to be in a position to challenge for a place inside the top-10 aboard his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Today's two races were held in glorious sunshine with track temperatures heating up to 54°C. Kawasaki's Tom Sykes followed up his Pole Position with two commanding wins that saw him move to the top of the championship.

FIXI Crescent Suzuki will stay at Imola for a day of testing, before it heads to Russia for the next round of the Superbike World Championship, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday July 21st.

Leon Camier:

"For some reason the tyre span on the rim today and there was nothing more that I could do, because I was pushing so hard and adapting my style to try and cope with the chatter. In the parts of the track where I didn't have chatter I was really fast and I think I could have caught the guys in front and challenged for the podium, but when I got to the points where the bike had chatter, there was nothing more I could do and I was so limited. On a positive note though we did a good job this weekend and without the problems we were strong. I think electronically we still need to improve, we've got it working really well with what we've got, but we need to try and come up with some better strategies that will help me put more power to the ground. "

Jules Cluzel:

"I am really disappointed with the whole weekend in general because we never found a fast lap and maybe in race one it should have been my best performance of the weekend, but I went straight on twice and the second time I crashed because I could not find the gear, but I think my race-pace was good enough for eighth or ninth. Race two felt worse for me and I fought with Haslam and Badovini. I passed them both, but in the middle of the race I had a strange feeling on the front and it had some big movement and I was quite scared because it was in the fast turn, so I slowed down a little bit. On the last lap I went straight-on in the final chicane because I couldn't get first gear and lost a place. I am not enjoying this weekend and I hope that in the test tomorrow we can find some good improvements."

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"This weekend didn't bring the team quite the results we were hoping for, but it certainly wasn't through a lack of trying by the crew or the riders. Leon rode hard all day, but over race-distance we just lacked a bit of performance and consistency, especially on the slow-corner exits, and this made it tough for him to live with the fastest riders. We are frustratingly close to challenging the top-five, our rhythm on average is half-a-second away from the factory BMWs and we'll keep working hard to make sure that we can make both of the riders' jobs easier and allow them to extract the full potential out of the GSX-R over race distance.

"Jules had a tough day; he improved a lot on race day - as he always does - but a first race crash and an unfortunate technical issue in the second race robbed him of what could have been a top-10 finish. We have work to do and we're excited about getting into it; starting with the test here at Imola tomorrow."

ParkinGO MV Agusta Corse

Sunday, 30th June 2013

ParkinGO and MV Agusta Corse closed another difficult sunday, Imola, second home race of the season on their debut at the World Supersport Championship.

Both riders Roberto Rolfo and Christian Iddon, have battled with other competitive and developped bikes.

The weekend for the team, far from the results expected, is nevertheless positive; new useful information to help the MV project.

Christian Iddon crashed due to oil in the track from another rider. The race red flagged, restarted without the British rider as his bike suffered too much damage.

Dificult race as well for Roberto Rolfo, with technical problems that didn’t allow him to have a good pace.

The rider from Torino has finished his race getting good points and information for the development of the MV.

Roberto Rolfo (14th)

At the end it hasn’t been too bad and we got some good points. A problem on the gearbox has annoyed me since the beginning of the race. The higher temperature from today hasn’t really played on our favour either.

Since the beginning of the weekend we have improved a lot and now we have more useful information. Fortunately we are testing here tomorrow. I am pretty sure we are going to do another step forward for the future.

Christian Iddon (n.c)

As you have seen I have crashed due to someone else’s oil on the track. I realized when I was already on the floor. It has been a big crash and I am lucky to be unhurt. Obviously it hasn’t been possible to redo the start which is unfortunate because I had a great pace and I felt I could do a good race. The bike felt very good.

We have to improve to be more competitive from the beginning of the weekend.

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DNF For Davies In Imola WSS Race

PTR Honda’s Matt Davies retired from the 7th round of the World Supersport championship at Imola this afternoon.

The hard charging Aussie has had a weekend to forget at the Italian circuit as two practice crashes left him much further down the starting grid than was hoped.

That said he maintained a solid 25th position at the completion of lap one before having to pit at the end of lap two with a technical problem.

The next round of the championship takes place at the Moscow Raceway in 3 weeks and Matt is excited about his first Russian race, where he hopes lady luck will be smiling.

Sheridan battles to top 10 finish

PTR HONDA'S Sheridan Morais fought hard to take 10th place at the seventh round of the World Supersport Championship at Imola in Italy today.

The South African tried hard all weekend. Sheridan said: "I had quite a good race but for the wrong positions. We had a really good battle but I want to have a race like that at the front. We've just had a hard weekend; we are trying some new things. The suspension and handling are excellent and we are faster through the turns than everyone. I am looking forward to the test tomorrow to improve our performance further."

Nacho Calero took 21st in the race, just a fraction of a second from a top 20 result. The Spaniard continues his learning curve in World Supersport and will take heart from another finish.

David Linortner had been in 18th place and threatening the top 15 when he was forced to retire. Matt Davies, after a number of crashes, suffered a technical problem and was forced to retire early on. With the one bike rule if a rider crashes and there is undetected damage in the motorcycle, it increases the chance for failure in the race.

Home racer Luca Marconi did not start due to injuries sustained in a crash yesterday and he is hoping to return to action in time for the next round of the Championship at Russia on 21st July. Before that Sheridan will join the official test at the Imola circuit tomorrow.

Simon Buckmaster, PTR Honda Team Manager, said: "For 2013 PTR has a team of young and new riders that are all learning to one degree or another. Sheridan has already proved at previous rounds with an injury he has the pace to challenge for the podium. Today he had to fight hard to take 10th and we will be looking to see what we can improve together to get to the position we need to be.

"Nacho finished just outside the top 20 after challenging for 17th with a lap to go. He had to slow down because he was feeling unwell - this is the second time this has happened and we need to work on full race fitness. He is a rookie to the class but I strongly feel he can do better and will be encouraging him to make the most of his ability and the bike he has got.

"It was disappointing to see David retire again when he was riding well here. We will take that encouragement to Russia and I will be pushing him to get another points scoring finish.

"Matt suffered a technical problem, most likely caused by the crashes he suffered over the weekend. We need to eliminate those accidents so he can get to a race and show us what he can achieve.

"The whole PTR team wishes Luca Marconi a speedy recovery and we hope he will be back for Russia and fighting for the top 10 where he deserves to be."

Nemeth Just Misses Points Finish In Imola

SMS Complus Honda Balazs Nemeth rider put a frustrating qualifying session behind him to take a season’s best 16th position at the end of the 4th round of the World Supersport championship at Imola this afternoon.

The Hungarian who missed most of Friday due to a technical problem has been limited on track time this weekend, but dug deep in the second restart to narrowly miss a top 15 finish.

The result is both pleasing and encouraging for Balazs who will now travel to Russia in three weeks for the next round of the championship, confident that the first championship points of 2013 are getting closer.

The shortened 14-lap race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which had to be restarted after an oil spillage caused the first part to be red-flagged, was won by Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu.

Van der Mark had an eventful race, starting from 10th place on the grid the 20-year-old Dutch ace had fought his way up to fourth before he almost crashed on the oil spill. With a better grid position for part two, he was always in contention but front tyre problems restricted his progress.

Zanetti, 26, also battled hard in both parts of today’s race and the Italian rider pleased his home fans and supporters by exorcising the disappointment of the previous round at Portimao, scoring 13 solid points for the championship in which he holds fifth place.

Lorenzo Zanetti – 4th

Part of me is happy that I was able to fight for a podium at my home race, but another part is angry because another rider rode straight across me in the first start and that affected my position on the grid after the red flag. OK, that’s racing, but I had to push a lot and use my head to stay calm and get into a good rhythm. I hoped that I might get into a podium position because Sofuoglu and Leonov used a softer tyre than me. It’s a good result though and it’s been a good weekend compared with Portimao. The championship is OK and the team will be happy with these results. If we can continue this way, the podium will surely come to us.

Michael van der Mark – 5th

The first start was OK and I was in a group that would be fighting for the podium. I felt that I could go faster than the others and I was waiting because my pace was better. Then we got an oil flag but it was on top of a hill so I could not see where the problem was. The others went through OK so I figured it wasn’t too bad but then I hit it and I lost the rear. I though “OK, this is going to hurt”, but I was able to save it. I have no idea how! In the restart I was riding in third place and had a good feeling but I pushed too hard on the front and lost two places. I couldn’t go any faster so I stayed safe for fifth. I’m happy for that, and the good points I got, but a little unhappy that I wasn’t able to fight for the podium in the restart.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Both guys had quite a good warm-up this morning and we found some setting improvements. Michael was lucky not to crash on the oil that caused the red flag, and then we had a shortened race. It looked like Michael was pushing for a podium but his front tyre started to drop a bit and he dropped to fifth, which was a good result. Lorenzo’s fourth was also a positive finish, and they stand fourth and fifth in the championship. We didn’t get them on the podium but, all in all, it was not a bad weekend.

Baldolini Delighted With Suzuki Top Ten In Imola World Supersport Race

Italian Alex Baldolini fought hard in the 4th round of the World Supersport championship in Imola this afternoon, charging to a well deserved 9th position on his Suriano Suzuki.

Alex who underwent an operation to prevent arm pump less than two weeks ago, was understandably delighted with the result, his best since rejoining the Suriano family at Donington.

The result gives both Alex and the team a great deal of confidence for the second half of the season where their next target is the top 6.

Today’s race was hectic at times, but Alex who is not scared of a good fight overcame a group of 5 riders including former World champion Fabien Foret to claim 9th position at the flag.

Alex Baldolini – 9th position: “Finally a good weekend where we could work consistently. In the second start, I had a good getaway from the line and for the whole race I was in a big fight. Little by little my confidence grew and I started to pass people. Marino was hard to pass but I am really happy because after my operation I can now ride with no pain. The team and I are improving race by race and the feeling with the Suzuki is really good. I want to thank Ninetto and the whole Suriano team because they put in a lot of hard work and a big effort to make us competitive but we deserved this top 10. We are going the right way and we need to keep pushing and making little steps forward. I also want to thank everyone who has stood by me and always trusts in me. Their support is very important to me. Thank you.”

Schacht Races To WSS Top 20 At Iconic Imola

Racing Team Toth rider Alex Schacht overcame two days of technical misery to finish a respectable 20th position in the World Supersport race at Imola this afternoon.

The Danish youngster who continues to adapt to life as a rider in the World Supersport championship rode hard to claim a well deserved top 20 finish at the flag.

Benefiting from a restart to the race after an earlier incident, Alex soon moved from the 32nd position that held at the start into the top 25 and spent most of the race locked in a titanic battle with his team mate Imre Toth and fellow Superstock 600cc graduate Nacho Calero.

At the flag he would finish just behind his more experienced team mate but had the satisfaction of beating his former Superstock challenger on the final lap.

Alex Schacht – 20th position: “The race was actually quite good. I had a good fight with Imre and Calero. I made a mistake on the last lap which stopped me from attacking my team mate on the run to the flag but I will try again in Russia. It’s been a great job by the team this weekend as we were missing a couple of mechanics so a big thanks to them.”

Round 8 of the World Supersport championship will see Alex tackle the Moscow Raceway in Russia in 3 weeks where he is hoping that the bad luck from the first half of the season is well and truly behind him.

Kennedy Salvages Points In Imola World Supersport Race

Jack Kennedy took his Rivamoto Honda to 13th position at the flag after a tough world supersport in Imola this afternoon.

Starting 22nd on the grid after a qualifying crash, the race was always going to be hard but a red flag after 5 laps meant an improved grid position when the race finally got underway again.

Jack made another good start and was up to 12th battling hard with a group of seven riders.

Three laps into the race a small brake problem slowed Jack’s progress and made the Rivamoto Honda difficult to ride as Jack had to adjust his braking distance. Jack being the fighter that he is stuck with the problem despite not being able ride at 100% to score another valuable 3 points and consolidate his 8th position overall in the World Supersport championship.

Edik Blokhin was classified in 23rd position.

Jack Kennedy – 13th position: “It’s been an unlucky weekend. It started out great but then the bad luck came. In both parts of the race I had a brake problem which started half way through the first part and after 3 laps in the second. The bike was hard to ride as I was having to adjust the lever. I lost the front end a few times and almost crashed. I am happy to get 3 more points under the circumstances and we will move on to the next race in Russia. The whole team have put in a great effort this weekend so a big thanks to them.”

Jeremy McWilliams – Team Manager: “We have had no mechanical problems all year and then here a 10p part costs us with the brake. I am disappointed for Jack as he had so much more to give but was unable to ride at his full potential. Many riders would have stopped but Jack being Jack he stuck it out and still brought the Rivamoto Honda home in the points and kept hold of his 8th position in the Championship. The whole team worked hard this weekend and with Edik in 23rd we have to be pleased with both riders finishing.

WSBK Stk600 - San Carlo Team Italia one-two in Imola with Nocco and Morbidelli

The Italian duo is first and second after a thrilling race in Imola

Alessandro Nocco proved his talent by winning his first race in the European Stock600 championship. The young Italian showed great maturity after the red flag that nullified his early escape. At the second start, Nocco was still fast but had to fight against Morbidelli and Gamarino right until the checkered flag. He was passed by Gamarino with two laps to go, but held tight and passed him again with courage in the Rivazza corner to win in front of his fans.

Franco Morbidelli also had a strong race, ended behind his teammate by only 0.088 seconds. After winning in Portimao, he was going for a double but could not match Nocco's pace. Still, he conquered second position with a bold move on Gamarino at the very last corner and is now only 10 points behind leader Duwlez in the championship.

"It's been a great race. I had fun. After the red flag I tried to stay focused as I knew I had the pace. It wasn't easy though: I fought until the end for this win. I want to thank FMI and the sponsor for helping us so much."

"I'm happy with my race. Nocco was really fast, I didn't have the same rhythm, but after the red flag I managed to stick with him. I'm glad I passed Gamarino in the last corner and happy with second place."

Cristiano Migliorati (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"The red flag gave us some problems as we lost the early pace, we had to sweat until the last corner to conquer the result. But it was a day to remember. Both riders and the team deserve top grades, and the Italians will remember it."

Raymond Converts Pole Position Into EJC Race Win At Imola

Guillaume Raymond from France became the first rider to convert a Pole Position into a victory this year in the 4th round of the PATA European Junior Cup powered by Honda at Imola this afternoon and with it a slender championship lead.

Kiwi Jake Lewis made the initial best start leading for most of the opening lap from the outside of the front row of the grid but as the tightly packed grid completed lap one it was local rider Kevin Manfredi who headed the field with Lewis and Britain’s James Flitcroft in hot pursuit.

Pole Sitter Raymond didn’t make the best start ending lap one in sixth but by lap 3, the Frenchman had edged in front.

Josh Harland crashed out of the top ten just before half race distance was completed, thankfully without injury.

As the riders began the second half of the race a leading group of 12 were tightly bunched as Richard Bodis and fellow Hungarian Peter Sebastyen recorded the fastest laps of the race at that point to join the party at the front of the field, dragging Andrea Zanella (Italy), Hannes Soomer (Estonia) and Alessandro Zaccone with them.

Jake Lewis tangled with Adrien Pittet at the end of lap six, the pair unable to continue. The crash split the leading group and with just one lap to go Raymond, Manfredi, Michael Canducci (Italy), James Flitcroft and Richard Bodis less than half a second apart.

Into the final chicane and Canducci and Manfredi both went down leaving Raymond clear to take the victory ahead of an ecstatic Richard Bodis and Augusto Fernandez making the most of the last lap carnage to grab the final podium position.

4th place went to the fighting James Flitcroft who produced his best result of the season while Illan Fernandez (Spain) and Peter Sebastyen completed the top 6.

Javier Orellana (Spain) was back in the points with a 7th place finish ahead of Hannes Soomer (Estonia) who picked up his first points of the season in 8th. Robin Anne grabbed 9th and Ali Adriansyah Rusmiputro rounded out the top ten.

Further down the field Norwegian Stinius Viking Odegard also picked up his first championship points with a fine ride to 14th position.

In the championship only 25 points cover the top 11 riders at the half way point, giving us the prospect of an equally exciting second half of the season.

Championship Standings After Imola:

1st: Guillaume Raymond, 48 points

2nd: Michael Canducci, 46 points

3rd: Robin Anne, 45 points

4th: Jake Lewis, 41 points

5th: Augusto Fernandez, 36 points

6th: Peter Sebastyen, 35 points

Unlucky Lewis Fails To Finish EJC Race At Imola

Jake Lewis was unlucky not to finish the PATA European Junior Cup race in Imola this afternoon after being taken out by a fellow rider.

Jake who made a great start to lead on the opening lap, was involved in a titanic battle for the first half of the race until as the tightly bunched leading group approached the final chicane just before half race distance.

Lewis was in the middle of the bunch and a light tap from Adrien Pittet was enough to send the double podium finisher to the ground.

Lucky not to be hit by the riders closely following him, Jake is obviously disappointed but can take some consolation that 3 of his championship rivals also failed to finish.

Jake Lewis – DNF: “I was feeling really good and running in the front group. I was running a comfortable pace, it was just unfortunate to be taken out by a rider who was getting a bit over excited. In terms of the championship we are still right in the mix so I just need to make sure I get a good result at Silverstone. I’d like to thank everyone for their help this weekend, there were still a lot of positives so I am looking forward to the next race.”

Tom Sykes storms to Championship lead after double win

Imola (Italy), Sunday 30 June 2013 - The eni FIM Superbike World Championship 48.020 fans attending the 7th round during the three days could watch an exciting turning around in events, that brought Tissot-Superpole and double race winner Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) on top of the riders standings ahead of Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team). The Frenchman had his first DNF of the season in Race 1 due to a technical problem, before scoring a third place in the second one.

It was a mixed emotions race-day also for Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team), who completed the podium in the first race before crashing in the next one, and Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike), able to rise again to 2nd following a Race 1 no-score.

The series will be back on track tomorrow for an official one-day test at Imola, while the next round is scheduled for July 21st at Moscow Raceway.

Tom Sykes: “I have had two perfect weekends out of the last three events and for this I am truly happy. It is a special weekend for many reasons and also the incident last year with my 2012 team-mate Joan Lascorz. There was not one time on any lap when I have exited turn six and not thought about his accident. I hope that this is a small, small tribute to him. I have every single individual member of the Kawasaki staff and teams to thank, and our great technical sponsors. Hopefully now this is a beginning of a challenge but we will see how we go.”

Jonathan Rea: "Really mixed emotions today. I made a mistake on the first lap of race one, but made a lot of ground up and then unfortunately crashed when I was pushing for the podium with a couple of laps to go. In race two I couldn’t go with the two guys ahead, so they gapped me and by half distance, Tom had eked out a lead tenth by tenth. I need to work with my crew to make the bike better with a full fuel load and fresh tyres, but we can leave Imola with our heads held high and we look forward now to Moscow."